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“Ron Paul bashing may be emotionally satisfying, but it’s not going to help the GOP win the Presidential election in 2008. And it is very important that we win.”

That is why it is important to shut down this freaky Ron Paul sideshow and get down to the real business of the primaries and selecting a candidate who can beat Hillary.

Paul is a joke and a useful idiot for the Democrats. We need to exclude him from debates and focus on the real candidates.

Have you thought that Ron Paul currently benefits Hillary Clinton insofar as he appeals to leftist Democrats who dislike her as a corporate apologist and for her refusal to commit to an immediate withdrawal from Iraq? If he were not around, many Paul supporters might vote for one of her opponents in the Democratic primaries. One of Obama's demographic strengths is supposedly his ability to draw younger, anti-establishment voters. Paul may well be taking traction away from Obama. OTOH, Paul's effect on the general election if he chooses to run as an independent is hard to assess. If someone other than Giuliani or McCain wins the GOP nomination, the conservative constituencies will rally to the party. Paul may draw votes from the same leftists who might otherwise hold their noses and vote for Hillary.

I heard Andrew Sullivan on Bill Bennett's talk show this morning. He said that it is best to treat Paul as a part of the overall "big tent" strategy and encourage his participation in the process. Sullivan's comments were sensible. Paul has yet to show any ability to get out of the single digits in any scientific poll, despite his undisputed ability to raise money. Having lots of money does not always correlate to votes, as Steve Forbes will attest. If Paul does not do well in the early primaries, he will fade away quickly.

That is why it is important to shut down this freaky Ron Paul sideshow and get down to the real business of the primaries and selecting a candidate who can beat Hillary.

Have it ever occurred to you that Paul is bringing in new and young voters in the GOP, as well as reuniting the libertarians and independents together? Where are these voters going to go if Paul continues to get crapped on by the establishment and media elites?

You think they're going to cheerfully support someone like Rudy?